Altar in courtyard of Temple of Azzanathkona
YUAG, Dura-Europos Collection, negative number dura-e309~01
Most images of sacrifices in the wall paintings and relief sculptures from Dura’s temples feature offerings of incense or libations of wine offered to a variety of deities reflective of Dura’s multicultural population. The monumental size of the altar pictured here (a second one was found elsewhere in the large central courtyard) suggests that sacrifices of large animals took place at the Temple of Azzanathkona. A figure of a man leading a bull appears in the background of a relief dedicated to the goddess in the nearby salle aux gradins (room with tiered benches). Another photograph included in the exhibition is of a relief dedicated to the god Zeus Kyrios-Baalshamin: a dedicant holds a lamb in his arms as an offering.